NHER 22426 (Building record) - Bircham Centre, Market Place

July 1983. Listed, Grade II.
17th century greatly altered 19th. Red brick rendered, black pantiles and slates.
U-shaped plan, two storeys and attics, forming courtyard to east.
Market Place west façade four windows extended with one blank bay to south.
Central Gothick porch.
Windows 19th century.
Shaped eaves brackets in pairs.
Three dormers.
End stack north, offcentre axial stack to south.
Rear wings have 19th century windows.
South wing has storey height windows on ground floor.
See (S1) for the complete listing details.
E. Rose (NAU), 7 April 1986.

Plans (S2) submitted (see file) 1986 for minor internal changes suggest that north wing is the original timber framed building, with spine and bridging beams in place, but no pre-19th century work recorded in southern section.
First floor room at northwest corner is marked as having a dragon beam; usually found on ground floor to support a jetty.
What is its significance here? It crosses a bridging beam but details are not given on plan.
E. Rose (NAU), 7 April 1986.

9 April 1986. Visit.
Façade also has giant pilasters at ends.
Much of interior not accesible, but dragon beam seems original with large stops but painted over. It now stops behind the one pilaster and there is an 18th century brick adjoining. It seems the attic floor could never have been jettied to the west, but the later façade hides much.Was there a former façade to north with attic jetty, now sealed by the later house? Decorations hide most of interior.
E. Rose (NAU), 9 April 1986.

1997. Building Survey.
North wall of the rear range rebuilt, providing an opportunity to examine and record the full extent of the timber-framed wall that lies behind. This work suggested that the building is 16th century, reduced in size; altered in 18th/19th century when some 16th century doors were reset and cellar dug.
See report (S3) for further details. See also extract from (S4) in file.
E. Rose (NLA), 12 September 1997.

This building was a military hospital during the Great War, as confirmed by documents on display including a commendation by King George V.
E. Rose (NLA), 26 April 2007

January 2010.
A charitable trust has been formed to plan the regeneration of the building.
See (S5) for further details,
H. White, (NLA), 9 April 2010